The Ice Behind Fire's Eyes
by The Only Sane One
Summary: There seems to be something awful happening. Right under our view. And Espio's past may be the only thing that can stop it. Sequel to 'TDOJO' EspioXOC
1. Chapter 1

**I apologize in advance fo not indenting. It's not my fault, FanFiction won't let me.**

She forced her mind to shut down. She couldn't think. Not here, at least.

'_If I think just a little bit,' _She concluded, _'I'll probably realize where I am and lose it.' _The girl's hands clung to the rusty door while the rest of her body trembled. Her white fur was standing on end, and her cerulean eyes trembled.

"'EY!" The girl jumped. "You just gonna stand'ere or wa'?" Her ears flattened against her head at the sight of the shaggy guard.

The dog was dressed in a grey-blue guard jacket, hat, and trousers. Each had a couple silver buttons somewhere along the cloth. Splotches of dust and dirt decorated his uniform, giving the impression that he's been in that same place for quite some time. These characteristics were the only thing the girl found "guard-ly" about him.

His brown pelt was sticking out in every which way, and his floppy ears fell lazily around his face, adding to his bored expression.

"Well?" He snapped. The girl gulped and took a slow step towards the grey metal desk. Then another, then another, then another, then she stopped.

The guard scowled as the girl paused to study her surroundings. _'It's not like there's anything here.'_ He thought bitterly. And indeed he was right; the only things within eyesight were empty jail cells (an upper and lower row), the dusty stone floor, and the barely stable desk he was currently sitting at.

To his right was a long dark hallway, as to his left. In front of him (behind the girl) was the massive fifteen-foot double medieval doors (as if serial killer could be that tall and fat) and that girl.

She was covered head-to-toe in fur as fair as snow with light blue eyes. Her ears were feline-like and her tail resembling a fox's, her face and body structure somewhere in between. She wore a black short-sleeved and dark blue jeans. She wore no makeup, bore no jewelry.

'_How incredibly dull.' _The dog inwardly sighed. With a quick glance at the small security T.V. to his right, he pressed a red button resting on the desk.

The girl jumped nearly to the ceiling as the doors behind her started to creak and groan. They slowly started to slide towards each other through the screech of rusted steel on steel. Nearly a minute later, access to the outside was completely blocked, leaving the female shaking.

"Are you gonna' come ova' here or stand there all day?!?!?" The guard was getting impatient. He was seriously thinking of shoving the girl into one of the cells behind him.

"Um…"

"AH! She speaks!" The white female shuffled a bit. Before taking a large breath to increase her confidence, and closed the gap between her and the desk.

"Am…Am I too late for visiting hours?" She stuttered, eyes were filled with a nervous determination. The guard leaned in.

"Do you know where you are, little girl?" The dog said, arching and eyebrow. The girl stood up taller at this.

"I beg your pardon?" She said, clearly offended. "Of course I know where I am! And I'm sixteen, thank you very much!" The guard sat back into his chair, placing his hands up in the air.

"Sorry Ms., we don't get much visitor here." He said. "Being a prison for the most dangerous criminals and all."

"So I've taken noticed." She said blandly. "But you do allow visitors…Right?"

"Yeah, sure." He said, opening a drawer on the legs of the desk. "Lemme just write you down." He pulled out a dusted clipboard with a single torn and tattered paper barely clipped on. He snagged a stub of a pencil off the floor (also covered in dust), and looked at her expectantly. She just stared at him. "Uh, yer' name would sure be appreciated."

"Oh! Sophie." She watched him scribble.

"Last name?"

"I don't have one." He looked up at her. She didn't bat an eye.

"Whatever." He sighed and shook his head. "What are you?" The female paused for a bit, processing his meaning.

"A foxcat."

"…A what?"

"A foxcat. My…the person who gave birth to me…" The dog raised an eyebrow. "…Was a fox, and her partner a cat." The dog shook his head again.

"And your sixteen right?"

"Yes."

"And who are here to see?" A pause. Sophie's breathing stopped for a second. "Look this is a big jail and all, I'm gonna need to know the name of whoever to tell you where ta' go." She hesitated, before nodding a bit and liberating herself of the information.

"Long." She breathed. "Long Ozai."

_**~TØ§Ø~**_

Vector smacked Charmy upside the head. "For goodness sake Charmy just eat you god damn cereal!" Charmy stared down at the milky bowl, clearly…intimidated…by the…cereal bowl.

"But Vector! The Grudge is in there! I swear!" He wailed, "And it's going to eat me!" Vector's harsh, vacant stare went unobserved by Charmy.

"Maybe if you eat it fast enough, you'll eat it before it eats you." Vector looked up at the groggy voice. There stood Nyra, clad in a tan night gown; eyes squinted against the light mixture of incandescent and early morning sun. Charmy gave a wide smile.

"Good morning Ny!" Charmy chirped, beginning to eat. "How's Espio's room treating you?"

"It's nice, really comfy." Nyra replied as she got a grapefruit out of the fridge.

"You should try the sofa." Espio added in, lightly kissing her on the cheek. "Now _that_ is comfort." Nyra rolled her eyes.

"Please! I sat on it for ten minutes, and now my tail doesn't bend right!" Vector lightly chuckled. Nyra has only been here for a day or two and she's already bought them food (hence the fruit in the fridge), got Charmy to listen to her on most affairs and completely staked claim on Espio's room (leaving Espio on the living room couch).

"Vector?" Charmy began.

"Hm?"

"Why can't Espio and Nyra share Espio's room?"

…

And thus room was then silent, excluding the sound of Espio choking on his cereal.

"Hey guys! What happening?"

"HEY IT'S SONIC!" Vector shouted excitedly, practically hopping over to the newly arrived hedgehog, who was currently rather frightened at the tall reptile bounding over to him. "HEY IT'S SONIC! IT'S SONIC! LET TALK AND PAY ATTENTION TO HIM EVERYBODY! LETS TALK SONIC, _LETS TALK!_"

"Oh…Okay." Sonic said, doubtful of Vector's sudden hospitality. "Hey Nyra." He said with a sudden glare.

"What's up, Pin Cushion?" She replied, sticking her tongue out and crossing her eyes. Espio sighed. Nyra had made nice with all of his friends except the Blue Streak. For some odd reason she had decided within the first five seconds she was inside the agency the make Sonic her next friendly rival. However, being the competitive hedgehog he was, took every challenge to the next state, in which, Nyra took that as a challenge as well, and then _**she**_ raised the bar, causing him to raise it more, and only until it was raised to the highest most cutthroat game they could both think of in their twisted little heads. It was quite a feat to watch (It took forever, however. It contained a whole lot of staring for long periods of time, which was rather boring).

"So, back to our conversation of yesterday," Sonic started. "Your last name _isn't_ Geller?" Contrary to Espio, Nyra was actually very open to certain topics, as long as they avoid other more sensitive subjects.

"Nah." She said, sitting down on the sofa next to Sonic, who scowled and inched away. "It's really Analu."

"But I thought you were Japanese?" Charmy asked quizzically. "That sounds almost Hawaiian." Nyra nodded.

"My mother was Japanese, but my father comes from a line of an island tribe. Kinda like the Aztecs or something like that." She then smiled. "In fact I just got back from visiting my mother's side of my family in Japan, which is why Espio couldn't visit me for the past year."

"But why did it say you name was Geller?" Charmy asked, careful as he could be not to mention what 'it' was.

"Because they change names out of respect of the family." She said, before gesturing to Espio as she added the next part. "They even changed our friend Stella's last name…But not Es over here."

"But, why?"

"Geeze, Charmy ya' ask a lot of question."

"Shut up Vector! I can ask as many questions I need!" Charmy fumed. "Right Ny?"

"Sure, Charmy." Nyra nodded. "What ever it is. You innocent enough, I suppose." Charmy smiled big and wide, proving Nyra's thoughts on him to be true. "Anyway, they need to keep at least one name real so nobody thinks that the story is fake and they won't get sued again."

"Sounds a lot like our latest case, huh boys?" Vector sniggered. Espio sighed as Vector began to tell the tale of the mission that happened almost two months ago. It was going to be a long week.

_**~TØ§Ø~**_

Taishou was furious. He really, really was. He doesn't even remember the last time he was so mad. God help the souls the even look at him today. He sat at his desk in the office. The walls were a sickly green color, and smelled strongly of bamboo. His hands were resting on his desk, clasped in what could only be described as a death-grip around the other. He was imaging what it would be like to strangle the fool who was a total of 2 seconds late. 3…4…5… The door slowly creaked open.

"S-s-s-sir?" A voice sound behind the said door, followed by the hyperventilating of the speaker.

"Ejiki!" Taishou said joyfully, a twisted smile plastered on his face. "Come _in!_"

The red hedgehog stepped into the room warily. His spikes were rather short, yet still managed to stick out in every which way. His left ear, which was pierced with a single golden ring, was bent at an odd angle. While his right was upright, alert, and quivering with the rest of his body.

"You c-c-c-called Taishou, S-S-S-Sir?" He stammered, his hazel eyes blinking rapidly.

"Yes Ejiki. I do believe I did!" Taishou's smile quickly turned to an angered scowl as he shrilled. "Explain to me how _you_, brother of Fuzen, The friken' greatest samurai in your age group, get beaten by some **_SOCIAL REJECT OF A TEENAGE GIRL_?!?!?!?"** The young hedgehog nearly jumped out of his green jacket in dread. He was most certainly dead to Taishou now.

"I-I-I-I don't know Sir!" Ejiki yelped, bowing repeatedly at a hurried pace. "She was actually rather strong and-"

**"IT'S NO EXSCUSE!"** Taishou yelled, slamming his palms hard on his desk. Ejiki gulped. He hadn't had the guts to tell him when he was first assigned the mission that he couldn't possibly kill anyone, none the less an innocent defenseless girl, how on earth would he be able to tell him now? "Get out." Ejiki looked up at the back of the now standing ferret. "I said get out!" Ejiki promptly threw himself through the door frame, not bothering to close it and risk more time with him. But as he ran out of the small one story bamboo structure, he was watched by him through the office window. Taishou watched him run. He watched him trip, fall, and stumble. And he watched Ejiki's mystified facial expression as he thought.

'_What does it have to do with the Ninja Extermination plan anyway?'_

_**~TØ§Ø~**_

**And thus, the world was saved due to The Only Sane One's heroic acts to save thirteen puppies from a runaway train, orphanage from burning down, and a very important world trade business thing by teaching her cat how to speak Chinese in order to translate for them. Her only regret, she said, was being late with her FanFiction.**

…

**All of the above is the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, and the lateness of the chapter for a year is because of these exact events and not because she was just too damn lazy to do anything about it.**

…

**Except that's all a big fat pimp-ass lie and she knows it.**


	2. Chapter 2

"Do you know where you are, little girl?"

"Long Ozai."

"Shut up Vector! I can ask as many questions I need!"

"Explain to me how _you_, **brother** of **Fuzen, The friken' greatest samurai in your age group, get beaten by some ****_SOCIAL REJECT OF A TEENAGE GIRL_****?!?!?!?"**

**'****_What does it have to do with the_****_Ninja Extermination plan anyway?'_**

_**~TØ§Ø~**_

The guard gave her the instructions carefully. She made sure to follow them at a faultless rate; getting lost in a place like this would be terrifying. Sophie's bright fur stuck out like a single street light in the middle of nowhere. The eyes of the prisoners drawn to her with such inevitable force, that she seriously thought about running back. She pressed on however, eager to get where the directions ended.

'_Cell bock 236, Cell block 236, Cell block 23-…Aha!' _ The plaque was a rusted silver color (matching the iron bars), the numbers hardly distinguishable, and the cell was pitch black. Even so, she was certain this is where he was. "Hello?" She gradually got out, but with no response. She briefly glanced at the number plate again, as she remembered something Espio had said. "Konichiwa?" She attempted.

Her try at proper Japanese greetings was met by a sudden flash of amber. Sophie gasped and stumbled backwards, almost hitting the steel railing that stopped people, guards and prisoners alike, from falling three stories down to the cold, stone floor. The eyes stared, their anger rolling off their gaze in agonizing waves.

Sophie, visibly shaking, tried to calm herself. "A-a-are you L-L-L-Long?" The eyes narrowed, and slid side-to-side, as if what the owner was about to say was something top-secret. A feminine voice rang out,

"What do you want with him?" Sophie was momentarily hypnotized. The speaker's voice was lulling and strong, yet her words had a rather obvious edge to them.

"I wish to speak with him." Sophie replied, groping for whatever confidence she had left.

"Why?" The voice, however nice it was to the ears, made Sophie's heart pound with panic.

"It's about his son." The eyes widened and sparked with fury before they disappeared into the darkness.

"Go away." The voice sounded final, which Sophie wasn't about to take.

"No." She said firmly. "I want to talk to him. I _need_ to talk with him!"

"You don't need anything girl." Another speaker. It was male, but his accent seemed to be an off-beat Australian, nowhere near Japanese.

"How would you know?" She shot back. "I know he's in there, why can't I talk to him?"

"How would you know?" The male voice mocked. "Go away."

"No!" The silence between her and the cell seemed almost painful. With her hackles rising, Sophie made a final attempt to get her point across. She grabbed the bars and shook them with as much strength she could muster, and shouted, "This is really important and I'm not leaving until I get to speak with Long Ozai! His son may be in danger! And who knows about his daughter! Please, you _must_ listen to-" Her shouting was abruptly cut off as a pair of hands shot out through the bars, snatched her wrist and yanked them through. In a last minute move, Sophie turned her head in order to look at what grabbed her, but before she could really look, her arms where swiftly pulled in along with her hands, causing the side of her face to slam into the iron poles.

"Now, _you _listen to_ me._" A male voice hissed. It was neither one of the voices she heard before, and was so close to her ear that she could feel the breath of the speaker. "My family is _dead_." Sophie huffed and tried to struggle free, resulting in the grip on her wrist to be tightened considerably, she could practically hear her bones flex under the pressure. The speaker continued. "My wife is _dead_. My daughter is _dead_, and my son?" He pulled her as close as the bars would allow and shifted himself forward a bit more. "_Dead._" The steel-trap grip around Sophie's wrist was recalled, and she rushed to the rail, using it steady her ever quaking body.

Blue eyes met burning yellow ones. They blazed with wrath and damage, smoldering into Sophie like sulfuric acid. She choked on the breath that the eyes frightened back into her. Her lungs struggled almost as much as her eyes did to rip away from the scorching stare.

"Go." Although the eyes didn't vanish into the black like the amber ones did, they, in some way, released her. Sophie could feel the blood in her veins start and her heart beating again. Without looking back, she shot across the catwalk and streaked down the stairs. And even when she got outside, she still didn't stop running, and still didn't look back. Both things were done in complete fear that if she did, the eyes would still be there, watching her. Scaring her.

_'Shit.'_ She thought bitterly.

_**~TØ§Ø~**_

"Gah! Get'emoffa'me!"

"No way, Nyra. You're the one who hit him…"

"I so did not _hit_ him!"

"You _leaped up,_ karate chopped his neck, and said, '**HIYA!**'"

"Sounds like a hit to me..."

"**Shut up, Pincushion!**"

"Fine, then I won't help you."

"Like you were going to help her anyway."

"Do you have something to say to me, Charmy?!?"

"No, 'cause I do believe I just said it."

"Hey Charms, ya think you could give me a hand here?"

"Are you kidding me? I can't lift Vector! He's HUGE!"

"Really? My crushed airway hasn't noticed!" Nyra struggled to heave the croc off of her, but it was proving to be rather difficult to do on her belly. "I _so_ did not hit him…" she muttered. Espio sighed and walked over to the couch.

"Until you've admitted what you did, I won't help you." He said, flicking on the T.V. Nyra's mouth hung agape.

"But he's suffocating me!" she said in astonishment. Espio paid no mind. "Charmy?" she squeaked. "Help?" But it was too late; he already was seated next to Espio and Sonic. "You guys won't think this is so funny when you _burn in hell_."

"That's not going to help you in anyway, I hope you know."

"…Shut up."

_**~TØ§Ø~**_

Pages flipped at and alarming pace in Ejiki shaking hands. He was constantly checking over his shoulder in fear of getting caught. He had often heard that great plans were developed off old ones. In fact, it was Taishou who had told him that there was no individuality left in the world, so surely his plan was based off someone else's.

Ejiki always felt at home at the library, rather than on the battlefield like the rest of his family. However, it was not the library at Wake Forest in which he was located, but the one in West Glen.

"Who are you?" Ejiki froze. There, standing behind him was a small child of seven. A mouse with fur as black as ash in a small plum-colored dress, clutching a stuffed penguin. "I've never seen you here before." Ejiki jumped up and quickly tried to gather up his things, but being as clumsy as he was, dropped as much things as he gathered. When he bent down to pick the many objects up, the girl's purple eyes widen as she spotted the crimson circle on his glove. "You're a samurai!" She shrilled. The scarlet hedgehog sprung at the girl and managed to grasp her arm. "Let me go!"

"Shhh! Shh-Shh-SHHH!" He said in a desperate attempt to quiet the girl. "Yes I'm a samurai, but I won't hurt you, I promise!" She went silent as she considered his words.

"Will you be my friend?" She asked suddenly.

_**~TØ§Ø~**_

_"Nice shot Long!"_

_"Thank you…Squirrel."_

_"Damnit Long! I'm a Brush-tailed Phascogale!"_

_"Whatever." Another Kunai was thrown. TWACK._

_"Bull's eye again Long! How do you do that?"_

_"Practice."_

_"How much practice?"_

_"Sixteen years worth."_

_"But you __**are**__ sixteen!"_

_"I know."_

_"I never catch up to you then…"_

_"Nope." TWACK._

_"Hey, Long?"_

_"Yes?"_

_"How's Ivy?"_

_**~TØ§Ø~**_

**HELLLLOOOO EVERYONE! *waves madly***

**Nyra: I'm back!!! YAY!!!**

**Espio: Joy. Utter joy.**

**Come on Espy, cheer up!**

**Espio: No.**

**Nyra: WHOEVER REVIEWS SHOULD TELLS US WHAT TO DO TO TORTURE ESPIO!**

**Espio: O-O Wha-? NYRA!**

**I second that notation!**

**Espio: You guys are mean!**

**Well, DUH! Oh, and before I forget, a Kunai is a type of throwing knife for those who don't know. Now, I know there isn't much excitement going on right now, but it WILL get better, I promise! Now, hurry up and review! 8D**


	3. Chapter 3

"_Dead._"

"Are you kidding me? I can't lift Vector! He's HUGE!"

"Will you be my friend?"

"_How's Ivy?"_

_**~TØ§Ø~**_

He was thankful to be relieved from his post, as always, but today was different. Today was a strange day. Someone had come to _visit_ the prison. That same person, not five minutes later, had rushed out in such a frenzied dash you'd think the devil himself was after her. Strange day indeed.

Cornelius Deslavi had a room to himself, like most guards in the "On-Grounds Boarding House" (he assumed it was the least the people who owned the joint could do, considering the fact that they were living within three miles from the most dangerous criminals). The living situation was one of the many reasons why he picked this job, it kept people away. Besides, despite how well the job paid, the room was absolutely free of charge. Score.

Cornelius was a funny name. You'd expect someone with that sort of name to grow up to be some sort of scientist or such. And while Cornelius was terribly brilliant, he was also terribly lazy. He dropped out of school as soon the chance came up, left home and worked here. And that was when he was sixteen. He was now twenty-four. A 'senior' compared to the other guards.

He sighed and sat down at his plain desk next to his plain bed and turned on his plain computer. What he did next was completely out of the ordinary for him; he hacked the criminal mainframe. The reason? Why, he was curious of course. Curiosity killed the cat, you say? Well, that's just fine with Mr. Deslavi. He wasn't a cat, but a dog. No worries.

_**~TØ§Ø~**_

Click.

…

Click.

…

CLICKACHIKACKLACKE-CLKACK KKKKKKKKKHKHHKHKHTTT.

Kkkhhhhghtt-_"In-"_kkk _"-'s news-"_ ghtkg _"we ha-"_ htk kk. K-k—k-_"-And the score is-"_

Pop, fshhhhhhhhhhh…..click.

…

"Of all the shitty days to lose cable," Vector said grimly. Espio simply sighed and nodded in agreement. Charmy, sprawled out at the front base of the faded couch, slurred similar opinion. Nyra was in the next room, assuring some random family member that she wasn't being held against her will. The rain raged on, Sonic had long since gone, and it was approximately midnight. Nobody wanted to sleep, but nobody knew what to do.

A flash of lighting, a clap of thunder, and then all was silent.

"No, Dad." Nyra's voice cut the stillness of the room. "Don't send Picasso. _I'm fine._ I promise." It was quite again.

"Who's Picasso, Espio?" Charmy asked, propping himself up on his elbows.

"Her step-brother," Espio answered.

"Why doesn't she want him here?"

"I don't know."

"I didn't know she had a step-brother," Vector said.

Espio took a deep breath, "How would you?" He said, resting his head on the left arm of the couch, "how would you know if she had any siblings at all?"

"I know him and Espio are friends, Dad! It's not that, it's just…Could you please let me finish!?" Nyra again, her voice sounded strained this time, she was obviously frustrated. "What do you mean 'too late'?!" She demanded, "Oh, forget it!" There was an audible _thuclump_ of the phone hitting the receiver before Nyra dashed to the window.

"I hate it when she gets like this," Espio commented, "what's the big deal, Ny? It's just Picasso." Nyra growled in response. "If you don't want him to find this place, I'd advise you to get away from the window."

"Shut up!" Nyra barked.

Espio threw his hands up in a mock surrender with a mumbled, "whatever." It was once again soundless.

_**~TØ§Ø~**_

"Wha-what?" The young girl cocked her head to Ejiki's right in response.

"Don't samurai's have friends?" She asked. Ejiki blinked, before fixing his gaze on her hand clutching her penguin. The glove was bare, no colored triangle to deem her his enemy by official standards, but he was marked. The red circles seemed to burn into his hands at the thought, he didn't want to be a samurai, and he didn't want to hate the ninjas! He just wanted to stay out of it all, and this girl was one of the many reasons why; you never see such innocent faces in Wake Forest.

"Little girl," The hedgehog began, "I mustn't stay here. Now that you've found me, who knows who else will?"

She didn't seem to hear him, or at least pretended not to. "I don't have many friends," she said, "in fact; I don't have any, except for Pengi." She paused to hold up the stuffed bird, "so, can _you_ be my friend?"

"N-no…"

"Why not?"

"Because, I'm a…" Ejiki bit his lip, referring himself as a samurai out loud made him gag, and he'd rather not do that in front of such an angelic face, "-I'm from Wake." With this said, he started his hurried leave.

"If you leave, I'll cry!" Mid-stride, Ejiki choked on the words suddenly thrown at him, "an' then, the library person will come in 'ere, and, and, beat you up! …or something." Innocent? Angelic? Had he really used those words to describe this bipolar rodent?!

"Look, little girl, I can't be your friend, or play with you, or whatever! I have things I need to do!" The mouse started to tear up, her breath hitching a tad. "Ah! No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no! Please, don't cry!" Ejiki dipped his hands into his pockets, fishing for something to distract the girl. Finally, he achieved this objective. "He-here! It's a mint! Don't worry; it's wrapped, so it's all clean! I know it's not the best, but it's all I have!" He shoved the striped snack at the child and fled, and without a moments hesitation, she un-wrapped the mint and popped it into her mouth, sucking happily.

"Hupsh? Whas 'dis?" She sputtered out, staring at the wrapper. It appeared to have some small pen marks on it. "It wooks slike a bunsha numbuhas!" She cheered out a small "yay" to the best of her ability, before stuffing the packaging into Pengi's mouth, instructing the object to hold it for her. She then dusted off her plum-colored dress and skipped off cheerfully.

_**~TØ§Ø~**_

_Eyes narrowed into a glare, and a throwing knife was aimed. "What did you say?" The target squealed and ducked behind a nearby tree._

"_Gah! I just asked how she was, that all!" He cried, "no sexual jokes hidden anywhere, I swear!"_

"_You are getting on my nerves, Aldwin." Long stated, "Ivy is not a very interesting topic." The phascogale, brown as he was, blended in with the tree very well, if it wasn't for his bright t-shirt and multi-colored jeans, Long would have to strain himself to spot him. "You certainly wear interesting clothes for a ninja."_

_The marsupial looked at his attire, "What's wrong with it?" He asked, "Orange is the new black!"_

"_And the jeans?"_

"_Okay, what's wrong with my pants?"_

"_They have rainbow stripes!"_

"_So?"_

"_So?! Which way to the pot of gold, you sugar-high leprechaun!?" Outside, the chameleon was annoyed, but inside he was enjoying this, joking around with his friend, that is what Ivy saw, anyway._

_**~TØ§Ø~**_

"I'm home," Sophie called, "Is anybody here?"

"I am." The fox-cat looked to her left to see a hoodie-clad hedgehog; his burnt orange eyes the only thing visible. "Welcome home, sis."

"Leto, where's everyone else?" Leto looked up a bit, reveling neon green fur.

"Tawny's out grocery shopping, and Cinder's at school."

"How come you're not at school, Leto?" He didn't answer; instead, he turned around and headed to the next room, the living room.

"I hate school," he said after sitting down on a plaid couch, "it's stupid."

Sophie sighed, and sat down next to him, "it looks really bad on your records if you don't go." Leto shrugged, dusting off his pair of baggy blue jeans. "Espio would have wanted you to go."

"Have you found anything yet?"

"No," the female groaned, "his father is just like him…stubborn! _Not to mention scary.'_" She thought the last part to herself.

"You believe me, right?" Leto said after a moment of silence, "that something is wrong, right?"

"Of course I do, Leto," Sophie reassured him, "your visions have never been wrong before."

_**~TØ§Ø~**_

…**.**

**Espio: Well?**

…**I hate Avatar.**

**Espio: and why?**

…**They stole my name.**

**Espio: NO. They had it first…You really should've made sure such a popular show didn't have a name like that.**

**WELL, IT'S SUPOSE TO BE JAPANESE!! HOW WAS I SUPOSE TO KNOW THEY WOULD USE CHINESE THING TOO?!?!**

**Espio: Wait, I thought I was Japanese…**

**You are.**

**Espio: Which makes my 'father' Japanese too…?**

**Correct.**

**Espio: Then why are you using Chinese things for a Japanese person?**

**I WANTED TO BE ORIGINAL, OKAY!!**

**Espio: BUT THAT MAKES NO SENSE!!!**

**I KNOW!!! WHHHAAAA!!! *runs off screen***

**Nyra: Nice, you made her cry. *sigh* Allow me to explain.**

**Ozai: A Chinese character or something meaning 'fire' or 'flames' and also, apparently, the Fire Lord in AVATAR: The Last Airbender. The Only Sane One, meant no copyright infringement when choosing this name, she just thought it would be a good match with Long's first name. Long = Dragon, also Chinese.**

**Espio: Now would be a good time for the disclaimer….**

**Disclaimer: The Only Sane One does not own Sonic the Hedgehog or any of the cannon characters mentioned. She also doesn't own the name Ozai…or any of the F.R.I.E.N.D.S. reference from the last story, or slight mention in the first chapter.**

**Nyra: Have a good day!**

***sob* cries in corner…Don't…SUE…me...!**


	4. Chapter 4

…he hacked the criminal mainframe.

"It's just Picasso."

"It wooks slike a bunsha numbuhas!"

"_Gah! I just asked how she was, that all!"_

…"your visions have never been wrong before."

_**~TØ§Ø~**_

Cornelius leaned back in his chair, baffled at what he had found.

Name: Ozai, Long

Species: Chameleon

Color: Magenta

ID: 026481

Age: 43

Birthday: September 18, 1965

Nationality: Japanese

Sentence: Life

Crime: Second-degree murder

Cell: 236

Cell Mates: Aldwin Arden and Hope Rosaline

Case File:

The case file was lengthy, but what it mostly contained was a bunch of fancy words to make it seem like it backed itself up, however, in reality, Cornelius read it as: we have no evidence, but we're convinced this guy did it. _'Who the hell convicted this guy?!'_ He thought, _'This is going to be an all nighter, for sure.'_

_**~TØ§Ø~**_

A bee about Espio's height stood in the door way. Black and yellow, standard bee colors, with grassy green eyes and clad in a tan unzipped vest. "Um," he began, "may I come in?"

"No." Nyra said curtly, before slamming the door.

"_Nyra!_" Espio hissed as he opened the door again. "Sorry, Picasso, you know how she is." The bee nodded, folded his black umbrella, and stepped in. As he did these actions, Vector saw a; his gloves, which both had a yellow triangle marked on it, and b; his white tennis shoes with yellow soles and black laces, ridiculous on anyone but a bee.

"I thought Picasso was Nyra's brother," Charmy said, hovering above Picasso's head "how come you're a bee?"

"Step-brother," Picasso explained, staring up at Charmy, a little uncomfortable of how close he was, "I'm her step-brother." His voice was cautious, obviously nervous being in a place with so many strangers.

"I'm Vector," Vector introduced, "and this 'ere's Charmy." Picasso nodded and looked around at everyone.

"Is there a reason you're here?" Nyra asked rudely, earning a harsh glare from Espio.

"Um, dad said to come, so I did."

**"…and he brought me along!"**

"!!"

_**~TØ§Ø~**_

Ejiki opened the door to his family's mansion, being the most respected clan of all the samurai wasn't all about fighting skills, wealth had a major dealing in it. He headed up a grand flight of stairs across the empty space of an entry way, tile shined so hard he could see his own pathetic-ness staring back at him.

Maids and various other servants greeted him in a polite manner as he made his way down one of the many hallways, the walls cluttered with priceless things from pictures to ancient samurai weapons. He turned right into a rather dimly lit passage at the next hallway intersection, and then, at the third from the last mahogany door, he rotated to the left and entered his room.

His room was rather large, about six meters from wall-to-wall, not including the walk-in closet, balcony, and bathroom. His elegant bed had it's sheets freshly changed and made up nicely, his laptop laying in the middle of the oversized comforter. Ejiki sighed, kicked off his shoes, and flopped on the bed, lazily turning on the computer. He had a daily report to fill out, and his father would be most angry with him if neglected to do so, even if he had nothing to say.

_"Beep. Password please."_ The computer chimed, to which Ejiki groaned, crimson spiked head buried in the blanket. He was horrid at remembering things, especially passwords. He always wrote it down somewhere, but in this case he was scolded for doing such a thing. The W.F.C.B. (Wake Forest Computer Base) had a lot of important things on it, and if the password got into the wrong hands...Speaking of hands, Ejiki's were getting awfully frustrated.

They had been digging in his pockets ever since the laptop beeped at him. They were looking for the piece of candy that he kept in his pocket. If you opened up the candy wrapper, it had the password on it, he would read the wrapper, pop the candy in his moth to smooth his nerves and…smooth his nerves. Smooth in nerves is another way of saying calm him down…Like he had done with that mouse girl in West Glen…How had he done that?

And with this form of thinking, Ejiki's brain gears slowly turned until, finally, they clicked. "Oh, shit."

_**~TØ§Ø~**_

_A green chameleon in her school uniform, which consisted of a blue plaid skirt and a white short sleeved formal shirt, was walking along the park sidewalk. Her books in her arms, a smile graced her features, and her bright green eyes glowed happily. She was about fourteen, a freshman in her school._

_Suddenly, a masked figure jumped out of the bushes, knife in hand, demanding money. She shook her head, claiming to have none. The man didn't believe her, and demanded cash out of her once more, coming closer. She insisted that she was penniless, and the man lunged._

_The young female stumbled backwards, dropping her books. She shut her eyes, cringing at the pain of falling on her arm. When she opened her eyes, she saw a young man, sixteen-looking, he was a chameleon also, a pinkish purple color, yellow eyes ablaze. He was holding the masked man in a complicated chokehold, the mugger begging for mercy, his knife discarded to the ground._

"_Hey," her rescuer called, facial expression featuring concern, "are you okay? He didn't hurt you did he?" He grip tightened around the mugger, "if you injured her, you are so dead!"_

"_I-I'm fine," The girl said, "please, l-let him go…"_

"_What?!?"_

"_Please, he looks like he's in pain…"_

"_That's kinda the point!"_

"_Please!" The male chameleon stared at her, before slowly loosing his hold. The mugger thrashed, struggling free, he dived for his knife, and before the magenta chameleon could do anything to stop him, he was gone. The newcomer fists clenched by his sides in frustration._

"_You must think I'm stupid."_

"_Yeah, I do." The girl's expression dropped. "Why did you want him to go free?!"_

"_Because he didn't do anything to me."_

"_But he could've! He could've killed you!"_

"_I don't think so." She said firmly, "I think he just wanted to scare me, not kill me." The boy shook his head, before turning away from her and walking off._

"_You coming?"_

"_Excuse me?" _

_He sighed, "this is the way to your school, right?" The girl nodded. "Well, come on then! I'm walking you there."_

"_I don't believe I ask you to."_

"_And I don't believe you said I couldn't." He retorted, "I don't want it on my conscious if that guy comes back and kills you, and then you would really wish you hadn't let him go!"_

"_**You**__ let him go!"_

"_Only because you told me to! Now come on!" He held his hand out, in which, after a few moments, the girl came forward and took it._

"_I'm Ivy." The girl said._

"_Long Ozai," the male grunted, "nice to meet you, you weirdo."_

_**~TØ§Ø~**_

When Leto was young, he would bid farewell to those who were to die in a few days. His mother, Cassandra Hemming, was never happy with him saying goodbye to complete strangers, but she loved him none the less… At least, that's what Leto thought.

Leto loved his mother and father with all his little four year old heart, even if he had never seen his father, he knew he loved him, because his mother loved him, and anyone that his mother loved, he loved. His mother said that his father loved him for the same reason, but that was a lie.

Mr. Kailash Hemming was in the army from four months before Leto was born to four years after. Four years old is when he was the most excited because his father was coming home, and the most disappointed, because his father came home.

His father didn't like him, the moment he came through the front door, and took one look at him, he said: "That's not my son. Get rid of him." Long story short, his mother loved his father more than him, and he wound up in the foster home from hell.

The last time he heard of his parents, was in a vision (the power had gotten stronger as he aged). Cassandra had been murder by Kailash, who turned abusive, and, as a result, he got the death sentence in a small jail on the outskirts of the town Leto was residing in.

_**~TØ§Ø~**_

**Egad. I've only got a few reviews.**

**Espio: That's because this story sucks. -_-;**

**Ah well, the only reason I started updating this story because I got another review. It got me inspired. Mah, no matter, review please!**


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